Yike Bike

[fcurran]

YikeBike: Cute Electric Penny-Farthing | Gadget Lab | Wired.com

Thoughts?!!

 

[Bigbee]

My first thought is £3,000!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[eddieo]

saw it on TV last night.....no comment really. there was that new portable knee operated clone of the sedgway last week...next week electric body boards

it was £3500 last night

 

[Mussels]

I want to see him do an emergency stop!

 

[jac]

i think young people would think that it was a pretty cool gadget

jim

 

[eddieo]

i think young people would think that it was a pretty cool gadget

jim

Yeah........ until they run into a bendy bus

 

[flecc]

Not a bike so much as a moped, since no pedalling and plenty of power from it's 1000 Watts.

The rider weight is far enough back to be ok, but unlike a high wheeler (penny-farthing), dismounting is to the front and not the rear and that makes it unsafe at well above walking speed.
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[Alex728]

i think young people would think that it was a pretty cool gadget

jim

maybe but the idea of ebikes is to get them to stay alive/in one piece so they can keep cycling...........

 

[Bigbee]

plus its illegal in this country,sans pedals

 

[winterdog]

it still looks more concept than device to me i just haven't been able to see the detail and that tends to be a fiction writers trick. I like when people have new ideas but prefer when they are thought through.

 

[z0mb13e]

But we often get way more mileage out of ideas that arent thought out (and I don't mean the 'road under tyre' type of mileage).

That made me chuckle... However I do like the way it folds down to little more than the size of the wheel.

5 miles on a charge at 12 mph doesn't seem that impressive from a 1kw motor, but understandable given the battery isn't apparent.

 

[Straylight]

plus its illegal in this country,sans pedals

Oh it's got pedals - they just don't move

Hopefully, what with the rapid sucession of inventions like this, the current law will be deemed unfit for purpose and undergo a complete overhaul - hopefully.... This would allow for some decent competition and inovation, and maybe stop them seeming like 'yet another crackpot idea that nobodys going to buy'. I think that without this kind of instant dismissal, particularly on the grounds of legality, we could see some serious development in this field.

 

[Mattyduk]

I'm a bit worried about the luminous green trail left behind

 

[flecc]

Oh it's got pedals - they just don't move

Hopefully, what with the rapid sucession of inventions like this, the current law will be deemed unfit for purpose and undergo a complete overhaul - hopefully.... - - - - - - - - - - I think that without this kind of instant dismissal, particularly on the grounds of legality, we could see some serious development in this field.

It's not intrinsically illegal and there's a class specifically for this kind of vehicle, bike based or somewhat similar and powered up to 1000 Watts as this is. As I've posted a few times previously, it's the low powered moped class.

For obvious reasons a vehicle like this needs some third party insurance to protect others, and that in turn means a way to identify the vehicle and owner is necessary which in turn means registration and a number plate, hence the specific class providing for them.

But forget about it, or anything like it, ever being allowed in the unregistered and uninsured e-bike class. That is for e-bikes that are legally restricted in several ways to be very close to ordinary bicycles in all operational respects, just providing for some assistance to muscle power. It's not for pure motor vehicles like the Yike.

Any changes in the law will be in the other direction, such as the forthcoming "pedelec/no throttle only" legislation that will make all e-bikes much closer to being bicycles rather than just some of them as at present.
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[Sarge]

Where was his helmet??

 

[AndyOfTheSouth]

Presumably still in the shop because he didn't want to look like a wally!

I know, because I was in his position (in the shop that is, not on the Yike) this afternoon. I couldn't bring myself to buy one even though I knew it would be a good idea. They are no more aesthetically pleasing now that they were when I bought the last batch ten years ago. I think they should have a style test as well as a drop test!

However, I will buy one tomorrow come what may.

 

[Sarge]

Andy of the South.

My wife always has a good laugh at me with my old pudding basin helmet.

In Halfords today we looked at one of the modern ones - I tried it on and my wife had a good laugh!

I don't know what the answer to looking like a wally is!!

 

[AndyOfTheSouth]

Thanks, Sarge. We are obviously of one mind on this!

 

[wibble]

Andy of the South.

My wife always has a good laugh at me with my old pudding basin helmet.

In Halfords today we looked at one of the modern ones - I tried it on and my wife had a good laugh!

I don't know what the answer to looking like a wally is!!

You could try this invisible helmet pictured below:

 

[AndyOfTheSouth]

Looks just what I want, but I couldn't see where I could buy one!

Does it come from the same shop as the Emperor's New Clothes?